Of Love and Mind Games
by jessysaurus
Summary: Sora, you're gay. sora/riku/kairi.


**Of Love and Mind Games  
**_written by jess_

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"Damn Kairi, was the sun always this _bright_?" asked a very disgruntled Sora. His hands were trying to shield his precious eyes from the sun's rays to no avail.

"Don't curse Sora," said the redhead lazily, laying against the paopu tree leisurely. "It's not you."

"Riku cusses," Sora grumbled, shutting his eyes to further block out the sun. "You never tell _him _off."

"That's because Riku is Riku. He wouldn't stop even if I asked him."

"And you think I will?"

"Yes, actually." Sora stuck his tongue out at his friend and leaped off the tree.

"You never answered my question," he accused. Kairi shrugged.

"Wear sunglasses. Crisis adverted."

"I don't _wear _sunglasses, Kairi, 'cause..."

"Yeah, yeah, you're too cool for them, I know."

Sora crossed his arms. "Why do you always have to aggravate me?"

"Why do _you _always let my words get to you?" she countered, sitting up and poking the boy in the chest. "You get riled up _far _too easily."

"Do not!" shouted the brunette in a very childish way. Kairi giggled.

"You're so cute, Sora." He blushed and ducked his head slightly. _That _wasn't fair.

"I'm almost sixteen, Kairi; I can't have you calling me _cute _anymore."

"But, Sora! You'll always be my cute wittle Sorakins!" To prove her point, she grabbed both of Sora's cheeks and pinched them like a baby's.

"Cut it out," said Sora, brushing away her hands and blushing even deeper. "Before someone sees!"

"Aw, come on. No one ever comes over to the island anymore, expect for us and Selphie and her friends. What're you worried about?"

He pinned her with a knowing glance.

"Who, Riku? Nah, he thinks you're little Sorakins too. Why, he was just telling me just the other day that you were probably one of the cutest boys on the island." She smirked when Sora's face slightly resembled a boiled tomato.

"You're lying."

"Nope, being totally truthful," said Kairi honestly, "He's said that a lot lately, actually. Hmm..." She put a finger to her temple thoughtfully.

"Okay, do I even want to _know _what you're thinking about?" She smiled brightly in response and jumped off the tree, landing in front of Sora.

"I was just wondering something..."

"...And that would be...?"

"If Riku has a thing for you."

Silence.

"Um, Kairi?" asked Sora quietly. The redhead looked up.

"Yeah?"

"HAVE YOU GONE COMPLETELY INSANE!" screamed Sora, waving his arms around for added emphasis. His cheeks were still a nice shade of red and his eyes were bulging now, thanks to Kairi. Said girl looked unfazed after his sudden outburst.

"No, I don't think so," she answered, hands on her hips. "Why do you ask?" Sora just stared.

"K-Kairi, come on, you can't be serious. Riku is...well, he's a...a _guy!_ And I'm a...well, a..."

"And you're a guy too," finished Kairi. He nodded. Kairi just grinned and leaned forward at her waist. "Like anyone cares about _that._"

"What?"

"Sora, you must know that when one guy likes another, that means that they are—"

"Yeah, I know what it means!" cried Sora, covering his ears. "I'm not _that _naive, thank you very much!"

"Then what's the problem?"

"Riku's not..._that. _He's gone out with plenty of _females._"

"It's possible that he swings both ways, if you know what I mean." Kairi wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Sora made a helpless sound at the back of his throat.

_"__Kai-ri!" _he announced, throwing his hands up in annoyance, "where do you _get _this stuff?"

Kairi ruffled his hair affectionately. "I'm observant, Sora. I watch things. I listen. Something you could never do in a million years."

"Pft! I beg to differ!" said Sora, crossing his arms. "I listen!"

"Yes, and I'm sure that all of your teachers would back you up on that one, Sora dear," mocked Kairi sarcastically.

"You are so hurtful," muttered Sora dramatically, "I have _feelings_, you know!" Kairi giggled and crossed her arms as well.

"_Feelings_? A straight man would _never _admit to having feelings. You just basically confessed right then and there." Sora's jaw slacked as he tried to come up with another witty comeback. He had nothing.

"Darn you! Darn you to heck, woman!" shouted Sora, sticking his tongue out at his friend.

"Did our Sorakins almost cuss?" asked a boy that walked up to the two feuding friends. "Aw, he's growing up so fast." Sora paled. Kairi laughed.

_"__Riku!_" Sora whined, face returning to its red shade, _"__You're not helping matters!_"

"Sorry," the silver-haired boy said with a smirk, "And what are the matters, exactly?" Kairi's grin could have been very easily described as maniacal.

"Oh, Riku, we were just having a small conversation regarding Sora's orientation," said Kairi innocently, twirling a lock of red around her finger. "And yours too, actually." Sora made that helpless noise again and stared at the ground dejectedly.

_Can't you swallow me? _Sora silently asked the sand at his feet. _I don't think I can be any more embarrassed. _

"Were you now?" asked Riku in that tone of his that told Sora he wasn't going to hear the end of this for a _very _long time. "And the answers?"

"Well, Sora's basically confessed to it, but we're still uncertain about you. My guess is that you go both ways." Riku's smirked widened as he looked at Sora's embarrassed, slightly angered face.

"Do you have any input?" he asked the brunette mockingly, tilting his head to the side.

"...No," Sora muttered, fumbling with his fingerless gloves. Riku smiled and moved a hand under the younger boy's chin, forcing him to meet the older boy's gaze.

"Well, do you want to know what I think?" asked the silver-haired boy good-naturedly. Sora looked confused.

"About what?" he asked, cocking his head to the side, chin still supported by Riku's hand.

"Sora," he said slowly, looking directly into the brunette's oceanic blue eyes, "You're gay."

What happened next caused Kairi to double over in a bout of uncontrollable laughter.

Sora, who had been looking directly at Riku, stood there for a moment, letting Riku's words sink in. When they did, however, the boy's eyes grew impossibly wide and he stumbled backwards, forming incoherent words as he did so. And, as he didn't know where he was going, eventually backed to the very edge of the rock that supported them.

I think everyone knows what happened next.

With a long, and very dramatic, _splash, _Sora plunged into the waters below, yelling and flailing around ungracefully as he did so.

Kairi fell against the tree and tried to contain her laughter to no avail. Her cheeks were tinged pink from the lack of oxygen and tears starting to form.

"O—okay. _That _was freakin' hilarious," she announced, slowly regaining composure as Riku looked over the edge of the rock, smirk wider than ever.

"Has to be so overdramatic," Riku muttered, seeing the boy's brown head bob in and out of the water. "You'd think he was drowning."

"He probably is," Kairi said, coming up to stand next to Riku, "Your little speech knocked the breath right out of our wittle Sorakins."

"You're not going to help him, are you?" Riku asked Kairi, knowing the answer. The redhead smiled.

"Of course not!" she giggled, finally seeing Sora resurface completely. When he did, he sent both Riku and Kairi the darkest glare he had ever administered to any of his friends. Kairi choked as another wave of laughter was about to engulf her and Riku just smirked down at the boy, waving when he spit water out of his mouth.

"RIKU!" Sora bellowed, sloshing around in the water until he reached the rope ladder they had attached to the rock. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"What about Kairi?" Riku asked innocently, "She started this whole thing." Kairi smacked Riku across the head at this just as Sora appeared at the top of the ladder, soaked and furious.

"I'll just spread rumors about her all over the school," grinned Sora maniacally, "That's dying for her."

Kairi yelped in offense at Sora's words, picking up the nearest stick she found and throwing it at him. "Sora! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"What! You started it!" he yelled back, shaking his head to rid his hair of water. Dang. Even when drenched in water, the teen's hair _still _defied gravity.

"You're the one who overreacted!" Kairi exclaimed, gesturing to Sora's current state. "_You _fell into the water of you own free will."

"Well, that's only because Riku accused me of being gay!" shouted Sora resentfully, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Only because it's true, _darling_," Riku emphasized, laughing when Sora's cheeks burned.

"IS NOT! I'M PERFECLTY NORMAL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" he screamed, stomping around in the ground like a three year old.

"Hey, Sora, you don't have to be like that. You don't see _me _yelling at everyone who states me for who I am." Sora's expression went from anger to confusion to understanding in a matter of three seconds.

"You mean you're..."

"Yup. Go both ways, Sora. Surprised you haven't figured that out yet," Riku laughed, ruffling Sora's wet locks.

"Oh," was all Sora could come up with as water dripped from his clothing. Maybe Kairi had been right; maybe he _didn't _observe things as much as he though he did. Oops...

"Aw, Sora, you should see the look on your face," said Kairi cheerfully, poking Sora's nose gently. "You just love it when we mess with you, don't you, _Sorakins_?"

"Kairi..." Sora began, about to tell her off for that name, but Riku cut him off.

"Hey, now, no more arguing. Let's go get ice cream. My treat," Riku offered, standing in between Sora and Kairi. Kairi's eyes narrowed at the subject change while Sora's eyes brightened at the prospect of ice cream. All thoughts of the previous ten minutes were washed from his mind, even though he was still soaking wet.

"Sure! Let's go! I want sea-salt flavored!" he exclaimed, the statement talking for both Sora and his Other.

"Kairi, why don't you go on ahead?" Riku suggested. The girl's eyebrows rose, but she said nothing, starting to walk across the small wooden bridge that led to the small shack.

"Sora?" asked Riku when Kairi was out of earshot. The brunette turned to his friend timidly. It seemed as though not _all _thoughts of the last ten minutes were wiped from his mind.

"Don't," warned Sora simply, eyes to the ground.

"Ah, you took me seriously, didn't you?" Riku said happily, putting a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"...What?" Sora asked, confused again. But when wasn't Sora confused, really?

"Sora, dear, you know that there's more than one definition of that word, right?" he asked the boy across from him. It took Sora a full minute to comprehend Riku's words.

"...Ooh," he muttered, blushing again, "That wasn't nice, you jerk!"

"Oh, that hurt," Riku feigned, letting go of Sora and smirking. He began running in the direction that Kairi had gone. "You better hurry up or you'll get no ice cream!"

Sora stood there for a moment, staring at Riku's form jumping off the shack and Kairi's standing next to the boats in the distance. They always played these mind games with him, and Sora never caught onto them. Not once. How was _he _supposed to know Riku was using the form of gay that meant happy and giddy instead of the _other _use of the word? So what if he was a bit slow on the uptake? _So what _if he was currently admiring Riku's backside as he ran up to Kairi's silhouette in the distance? Wait, no. Scratch that last.

But, as Sora looked in the smiling faces of his friends, all of the things they did to him didn't matter that much, not really. Because, at the end of the day, they were always there for him, to catch him when he fell. True friends that could never be replaced, no matter how much they liked screwing with his brain.

Because he loved them.

And Sora wouldn't trade them for the world.


End file.
